Anthony Shadid of the New York Times claimed the paper killed him

Turkish journalists in Ankara, on February 24, 2012, hold pictures of journalists who died covering the crisis in Syria, New York Times correspondent Anthony Shadid (L), who died from an asthma attack as he was crossing from Syria back to Turkey AFP PHOTO / ADEM ALTAN (Photo credit should read ADEM ALTAN/AFP/Getty Images)

Before he died on assignment in war-torn Syria, reporter Anthony Shadid blamed the New York Times for his deadly fate.

“If anything happens to me,” Shadid allegedly said, “I want the world to know that the New York Times killed me.”

When Shadid died in Syria in February, the Times reported it was of an asthma attack. Now, the reporter’s cousin Ed Shadid claims the news publication forced Anthony to make the journey against his wishes.

At the annual conference of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee Saturday, Ed said Anthony had been on bad terms with his editors before he left the country. The cousin even doubts the death was due to asthma and instead claims it seemed more like a heart attack.

The Times responded to these allegations on Politico and said they did not pressure Shadid to take the trip.